The electric forklift is usually the most ideal choice for indoor applications within manufacturing and warehousing environments. This is mostly due to 2 reasons with the first being that they produce zero emissions. This is an extremely important factor to consider for indoor work places. Among the IC or internal combustion models, just the propane-fueled units could be utilized indoors and these models still require really good ventilation. Units which run on diesel and gas could not be utilized inside under any circumstances.
Fuel cost is the other primary benefit of electric lift trucks. These units have lower cost per hour as opposed to any of the other internal combustion or IC models. One of the main drawbacks to using the electric forklifts is their higher initial expense. Brand new electric lift trucks can range from 20 percent to 40% more compared to IC units which are similarly rated.
However, electric lift trucks provide numerous advantages including quiet operation. This is a huge plus for indoor applications. Additionally, no requirement for fuel storage mean no room has to be allotted for tanks of flammable and dangerous fuels. Since electric forklifts have less components that move than internal combustion models, and they are usually used in cleaner settings and indoors, they tend to have a longer lifespan overall.
The battery downtime is the biggest disadvantage of an electric lift truck. These models run with heavy, big, lead-acid batteries, like those found inside your car. These batteries are extremely powerful and very big. Typically, batteries offer enough power for one standard 8-hour shift, and this means 5 or 6 hours of continuous use.
Initially, charging a lift truck battery takes approximately 8 hours. After the charging process is done, an extra 8 hours of cooling time is required before it could be used. Due to this long process of slow charging speed and extra cooling time, if you need lift trucks for 2 or 3 shift operations, you should purchase additional batteries so you could be charging the nest battery always. These additional batteries will add approximately $1000 to $2000 to purchase.
On the market today, there are some new fast charge electric lift trucks. These fast charge batteries have changed the business of electric lift trucks. Their charging can be completed in the course of lunch and coffee breaks, allowing them to get back to work a lot sooner.